West Java
West Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located in the western part of the island of Java and its capital and largest urban center is Bandung. The province’s population is 45 million and it is the most populous and most densely populated of Indonesia’s provinces.
One of the earliest known recorded history in Indonesia is from the former Tarumanagara kingdom, where seven 4th century stones are inscribed in Wengi letters and in Sanskrit describing the kings of the kingdom Tarumanagara. Records of Tarumanegara's administration lasted until the 6th century, which coincides with the attack of Srivijaya, as stated in the Kota Kapur inscription (AD 686).
The Sunda kingdom subsequently became the ruling power of the region, as recorded on the Kebon Kopi II inscription.
An Ulama, Sunan Gunung Jati, settled in Cirebon, with the intention of spreading the world of Islam in the pagan town. In the meantime, the Sultanate of Demak in central Java grew to an immediate threat against the Sunda kingdom. To defend against the threat, Prabu Surawisesa Jayaperkosa signed a treaty with the Portuguese in 1512. In return, the Portuguese were granted an accession to build fortresses and warehouses in the area, as well as form trading agreements with the kingdom. This 1st international treaty of
West Java with the Europeans was commemorated by the placement of the Padrao stone monument at the bank of the Ciliwung River in 1522.
Although the treaty with the Portuguese had been established, it could not come to realization. Sunda Kalapa harbour fell under the alliance of the Sultanate of Demak and the Sultanate of Cirebon in 1524, after their troops under Paletehan alias Fadillah Khan had conquered the city. In 1524/1525, their troops under Sunan Gunung Jati also seized the port of Banten and established the Sultanate of Banten which was affiliating with the Sultanate of Demak. The war between the Sunda kingdom with Demak and Cirebon sultanates then continued for five years until a peace treaty were made in 1531 between King Surawisesa and Sunan Gunung Jati. From 1567 to 1579, under the last king Raja Mulya, alias Prabu Surya Kencana, the Sunda kingdom declined, essentially under the pressure from Sultanate of Banten. After 1576, the kingdom could not maintain its capital at Pakuan Pajajaran (the present-day Bogor) and gradually the Sultanate of Banten took over the former Sunda kingdom's region. The Mataram Sultanate from central Java also seized the Priangan region, the southeastern part of the kingdom.
In the sixteenth century, the Dutch and the British trading companies established their trading ships in
West Java after the falldown of Sultanate of Banten. For the next three hundred years,
West Java fell under the Dutch East Indies' administration.
West Java was officially declared as a province of Indonesia in 1950, referring to a statement from Staatblad number 378. On October 17, 2000, as part of nationwide political decentralization, Banten was separated from
West Java and made into a new province. There have been recent proposals to rename the province Pasundan after the historical name for
West Java.
West Java borders Jakarta and Banten Province to the west, and Central Java to the east. To the north is the Java Sea. To the south is the Indian Ocean. Unlike most other provinces in Indonesia which have their capitals in coastal area, the provincial capital, Bandung, is located in the mountainous area in the centre of the province. Banten Province was formerly part of
West Java Province but was created a separate province in 2000.
West Java, in the densely populated western 3rd of Java, is home to almost 1 out of every 5 Indonesians.
West Java and Banten provinces, as a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, have more mountains and volcanoes than any of the other provinces in Indonesia. The vast volcanic mountainous region of inland
West Java is traditionally known as Parahyangan which means "The abode of hyangs (gods)". It is considered as the heartland of the Sundanese people. The highest point of
West Java is the stratovolcano Mount Cereme (3,078 meters) bordering Kuningan and Majalengka Regencies.
West Java has rich and fertile volcanic soil. Agriculture, especially traditional dry rice cultivation (known as ladang), has become the main way of life of traditional Sundanese people. Since the colonial VOC and Dutch East Indies era,
West Java has been known as a productive plantation area for coffee, tea, quinine, and many other cash crops. The mountainous region of
West Java is also a major producer of vegetables and decorative flowering plants. Sunny tropical sites with a cool atmosphere and beautiful scenery are frequently across almost all of
West Java and Banten except in the northern parts ( the Java sea beaches). The landscape of the procine is one of volcanic mountains, steep terrain, forest, mountains rivers, fertile agricultural land, and natural sea harbours.
Initially, the economy of the Sundanese people in
West Java relied heavily on rice cultivation. Ancient kingdoms established in
West Java such as the Tarumanagara and Sunda Kingdom are known to have relied on rice taxes and agriculture revenues. The cycle of life of the ancient Sundanese people revolvied around the rice crop cycle. Traditional rice harvest festivals such as the Seren Taun were important. The ancient goddess of rice, Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri, is revered in Sundanese culture. Traditionally, Sundanese people often used dry rice cultivation. After the Mataram expanded to the Priangan area in the early 17th century following the Sultan Agung campaign against Dutch Batavia, sawah (wet rice cultivation) began to be adopted in the northern lowlands of
West Java. Regencies such as Indramayu, Cirebon, Subang, Karawang and Bekasi are now well known as key rice producing areas. The mountainous region of
West Java supplies vegetables, flower and many horticultural produce to Jakarta and Bandung. Animal farms in
West Java produce dairy products and meats.
During the Dutch East India Company and Dutch East Indies era,
West Java fell under Dutch administration centered in Batavia. The Dutch colonial government introduced cash crops such as tea, coffee, and quinine. Since the 18th century,
West Java (known as "De Preanger") was known as a productive plantation area, and became integrated with global trade and economy. Services such as transportation and banking were provided to cater for wealthy Dutch plantation owners.
West Java is known as one of the earliest developed regions in the Indonesian archipelago. In early 20th century, the Dutch colonial government developed infrastructures for economic purposes, especially to support Dutch plantations in the region. Roads and railways were constructed to connect inland plantations area with urban centers such as Bandung and port of Batavia.
After Indonesian independence in 1945,
West Java became a supporting region for Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. Jakarta remained as the business and political center of Indonesia. Several regencies and cities in
West Java such as Bogor, Bekasi and Depok were developed as supporting areas for Jakarta and came to form the Greater Jakarta area or Jabodetabek. The northern area of
West Java has become a major industrial area. Areas such as Bekasi, Cikarang and Karawang are sprawling with factories and industries. The area in and around Bandung also developed as industrial area.
Endowed with natural beauty and rich culture, tourism is also an important industry in
West Java. The Puncak area and Bandung have long been known as popular weekend destinations for Jakartans. Today Bandung has developed into a chic and fashionable shopping destination, popular not only among local Indonesian especially Jakartans, but also a popular shopping destination for neighboring Malaysian and Singaporeans. The ancient coastal city of Cirebon is also popular as cultural tourism destination since the city has several kratons and many historical sites such as Gua Sunyaragi. Other popular tourism destinations include the Bogor Botanical Garden, Taman Safari Indonesia, Tangkuban Perahu crater, Ciater hot springs, Kawah Putih crater to the south of Bandung, Pangandaran beach, and various mountain resorts in Cianjur, Garut, Tasikmalaya, and Kuningan.
West Java is the native homeland of Sundanese people which forms the largest ethnic group in
West Java, followed by Javanese who migrated to the province centuries ago. Since Jakarta and the surrounding area, including
West Java, is the business and political center of Indonesia, the province has attracted various people from throughout Indonesia. Other Native Indonesian ethnic groups such as Minangkabau, Batak, Malay, Madurese, Balinese, Ambonese and many other Indonesians who migrated to and settled in
West Java cities can also be easily found.
West Java urban areas also have a significant population of Chinese Indonesians.
The population of
West Java was put at 43,054,000 in mid-2010 making it the most populous province of Indonesia, home to 18% of the national total on 1.8% of the national land. Aside from the special district of Jakarta, it is the most densely populated province in the country with an average of 1,236 people per kmx. The population growth rate recorded in the ten years to 2010 was 1.9%, assuming this growth rate, the projected population in May 2012 is 44.7 million.
In addition to Indonesian, the official national language, the other widely-spoken language in the province is Sundanese. In some areas near the southern borders with Central Java, Javanese is also spoken. The main language spoken in Cirebon and nearby areas is Cirebonese, a dialect of Javanese with Sundanese influence. Indonesian is widely spoken as a 2nd language.
Sundanese share Java island with Javanese people. They primarily live in their home province of
West Java. Although Sundanese live in the same island with Javanese, they consider themselves a distinct cultural area called Pasundan or Tatar Sunda. Someone moving from
West Java Province to Central or East Java Provinces, is literally said to be moving from Sunda to Java. Bandung, the capital city of
West Java, is considered as the cultural heartland of Sundanese people. Many indigenous Sundanese artforms were developed in this city.
The musical arts of Sunda, which is an expression of the emotions of Sundanese culture, express politeness and grace of Sundanese. Degung orchestra consists of Sundanese gamelan.
In addition to the Sundanese forms of Gamelan in Parahyangan, the region of Cirebon retains its own distinct musical traditions. Amongst Cirebons' varying Gamelan ensembles the two most frequently heard are Gamelan Pelog and Gamelan Prawa (a semi-equidistant pentatonic tuning system). Gamelan Pelog is traditionally reserved for Tayuban, Wayang Cepak, and for listening and dance music of the Kratons in Cirebon. Whereas Gamelan Prawa is traditionally reserved for Wayang Purwa.
Cirebon also retains specialized Gamelan ensembles including: Sekaten, which is played in the Kratons to mark important times in the Islamic calendar. Denggung, also a Kraton ensemble which is believed to have a number of "supernatural powers". And Renteng, an ensemble found in both Cirebon and Parahyangan that is known for its loud and energetic playing style.
| Kacapi suling is | tembang Sunda minus vocal. |
Tarawangsa is a genuine popular art is performed on ensemble consists of tarawangsa and the jentreng (a kind of seven-stringed zither). It is accompanied by a secret dance called Jentreng. The dance is a part of a ritual celebrating the goddess of paddy Dewi Sri. Its ceremonial significance is associated with a ritual of thanksgiving associated with the rice harvest. Tarawangsa can also be played for healing or even purely for entertainment.
The three main types of Sundanese bamboo ensembles are angklung, calung, and arumba. The exact features of each ensemble vary according to context, related instruments, and relative popularity.
Angklung is a generic term for sets of tuned, shaken bamboo rattles. Angklung consists of a frame upon which hang several different lengths of hollow bamboo. Angklungs are played like handbells, with each instrument played to a different note. Angklung rattles are played in interlocking patterns, usually with only one or two instruments played per person. The ensemble is used in Sundanese processions, sometimes with trance or acrobatics. Performed at life-cycle rituals and feasts, angklung is believed to maintain balance and harmony in the village. In its most modern incarnation, angklung is performed in schools as an aid to learning about music.
The Angklung got more international attention when Daeng Soetigna, from Bandung,
West Java, expanded the angklung notations not only to play traditional pxlog or slxndro scales, but also diatonic scale in 1938. Since then, angklung is often played together with other western music instruments in an orchestra. One of the 1st well-known performances of angklung in an orchestra was during the Bandung Conference in 1955.
Related Sites for West Java
In Sundanese culture the term ngibing means "to dance", but it is indeed performed in particular Sundanese style, usually performed between male and female couple. In West Java, all it takes is a woman’s voice and a drum beat to make a man get up and dance. Every men there breach ordinary standards of decorum and succumb to the rhythm at village ceremonies or weddings. The music the men dance to varies from traditional gong degung ensembles to the contemporary pop known as dangdut, but they consistently dance with great enthusiasm. Henry Spiller in "Erotic Triangles" draws on decades of ethnographic research to explore the reasons behind this phenomenon, arguing that Sundanese men use dance to explore and enact contradictions in their gender identities. Framing the three crucial elements of Sundanese danceâ€"the female entertainer, the drumming, and men’s sense of freedomâ€"as a triangle.
Among Sundanese dances perhaps Jaipongan is the most popular styles and form. Jaipongan dance could be performed solo by a female dancer, in group of female dancers, as couple between professional female and male dancers, or as couple when professional female dancers invite male audience to dance with them. Other Sundanese dances include Topeng Sunda, Kandagan, Merak, Sisingaan, and Badawang dances. The Merak dance is a dance performed by female dancers inspired by the movements of a peafowl and its feathers blended with the classical movements of Sundanese dance, it symbolises the beauty of nature. Some dances might incorporated Pencak Silat Sundanese style movements. Because Sundanese culture are commonly developed among rice farming villages in mountainous Priangan, some dance rituals such as Buyung dance are involved in Seren Taun rice harvest festival, accompanied with angklung music. Rampak kendang on the other hand are actually synchronized kendang performances involving some coordinated dance movements. The Sundanese style of Reog dance is different than those of East Javanese Reog Ponorogo. The Reog Sunda performance combines comedy, joke, music, and funny comical movements and dances of the performers.
